Filed under: reading
I hope everyone saw The Bookwitch’s tribute to Pete Seeger, who turns 90 today.
It’s Sunday night in Chicago; I leave for New York early Monday. I’ve been proofing galleys for my upcoming novel, Hardball, all weekend, and I’m bleary-eyed but now must pack. I’m meeting with my publishers this week to talk about how to support the novel in the absence of book reviews and bookstores–a kind of Alice moment, or perhaps Edward Lear: As I was sitting in my chair, I saw the bottom wasn’t there, Nor legs nor back but I just sat, ignoring little things like that.
I hope to return to “Alchemy” soon. I seem to spend all my waking hours working, either on domestic projects or on work at hand . Marcus Aurelius said, “Nowhere, either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble, do we retreat than into our own souls,” into what Melville thought of as “that quiet, grass-growing place” where a writer ought to work. I need the time, the spaciousness, to find that grass-growing place so that I can bring Alchemy and a dozen other creative projects to life.
YES, WE CAN!!!
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Sara Paretsky's Blog 
You’ll have to turn to the blogging community, Sara. Look at Adrian McKinty and Declan Burke. I can send you some links, to show you how they do it.
And many thanks for mentioning Pete Seeger.
Comment by bookwitch May 4, 2009 @ 8:25 amSorry to say that your trip to NYC will be rainy—most of this week. All the rain has made everything green so that’s the good news. I hope when “Hardball” comes out you’ll come back to the East.
Comment by genny May 5, 2009 @ 12:44 amWhen I was Declan Burke’s age, I wrote three novels while working at a demanding corporate job, managed a household with my husband’s 3 teenage sons, sang in a choir, and tutored in an after-school program for disadvantaged kids. I even had a sex life! When I look at that resume now, I get slightly hysterical just at the thought of trying to fit that much stuff into a year, let alone a week, so maybe it’s just not possible to play the tuba, drive a car, text message and write a few novels all at the same time.
Comment by saraparetsky May 7, 2009 @ 11:47 pmI may as well just go and lie down now, because there is no way I can compete with that.
Comment by bookwitch May 8, 2009 @ 8:14 ambookwitch, I didn’t mean to be bragging, but I see it’s what it sounds like. It’s just–when I was young, I could do a lot, and maybe that’s why now I’m so fretful that I can’t find energy to work on more than a few things.
Comment by saraparetsky May 8, 2009 @ 10:43 amI didn’t see it as bragging. I just realised that I’m lazier than even I myself thought. And getting older seems not to have improved me much. I want to do things. Just don’t get round to it or find the time or the energy.
Comment by bookwitch May 8, 2009 @ 6:36 pmAs a recently retired person (3 years now) I completey understand this question and answer–“How many seniors does it take to change a lightbulb? One, but it could take all day”
Comment by genny May 8, 2009 @ 10:32 pm